Suicide Isn’t Funny — Comedian Adam Cayton-Holland Discusses “Tragedy Plus Time”

These are dark times — we are facing a climate change crisis, rampant poverty and desperation, and now suicide rates in the United States are on the rise. On this episode, I talk to comedian Adam Cayton-Holland about his new book Tragedy Plus Time, which details his own relatives’ experience with suicide — and examines how mental illness can strike even the most tight-knit families. The book is about both Adam’s own career as a gifted stand up comedian, as well as his younger sister’s suicide six years ago. Adam is a Denver institution — he founded the improv group called The Grawlix and he has a show on Tru TV called “Those Who Can’t.” He comes from a family that is a pillar of the community — his dad is a renowned civil rights attorney and his mom was an investigative journalist. Adam’s book details his younger sister’s descent into the darkness — and in the process, it provides a look at the silent plague of suicide, as well as the coping strategies for those whose families are hit by it.